On this Veteran’s Day

I am grateful to the members of my family who fought in wars to stop Hitler and Fascism, and glad for those members who survived the unjust war in Vietnam to make it home and fight against anymore unjust deployments and raise awareness about the real needs & rights of the Vietnamese and Cambodian people. To all the military families who have sacrificed for our safety and the safety of women and children in times of crisis and ethnic cleansing, in Somalia, Bosnia, and all around the world, thank you. I am forever grateful to those veterans who fought for freedom of enslaved African Americans, founded civil rights organizations, and continue to struggle for the equality of marginalized people inside and outside the military. And to those who continue to sacrifice and to protect innocent civilians from those on both sides who think their lives do not matter or kill them with prejudice, thank you and come home safe.

AF-Am soldier in Civil War

AfAm soldiers in WWII

Comanche Code Talkers

American soldiers in Bosnia

Transgendered Veterans

LGB Veterans

Latino Veterans

And especially to all the female veterans who not only fight for justice in our world but also in the military, with limited medical services and protection from sexual assault, thank you for your strength and your courage.

Pres Obama & Tammy Duckworth head of Illinois VA

images unattributed